Not long ago was China considered a model of countries mired in centuries of complete stagnation? And now political life is seething in China, public movement is welling up like a spring, and a democratic upsurge is taking place. Following the Russian movement of 1905, democratic revolution has engulfed all of Asia – Turkey, Persia, China. Ferment is growing in British India.

It is noteworthy that revolutionary-democratic movement has now also embraced Dutch India, the island of Java and other colonies of Holland, having a population of up to 40 million people.

The bearers of this democratic movement are, in the first place, the popular masses in Java, among whom a nationalist movement has awakened under the banner of Islam. In the second place, capitalism has created a local intelligentsia from Europeans who have become acclimated there, who stand for the independence of Dutch India. In the third place, a fairly significant Chinese population in Java and on other islands has transferred revolutionary movement from their homeland.

The Dutch Marxist Van-Ravestijn, describing this awakening of Dutch India, points out that the ancient despotism and arbitrariness of the Dutch government now encounters decisive resistance and protest among the masses of the native population.

The usual phenomena of the pre-revolutionary period are beginning: unions and parties arise with astonishing rapidity. The government forbids them, thereby arousing even greater indignation and a new growth of movement. Thus, the Dutch government recently dissolved the "Indian Party" because its charter and program spoke of striving for independence. The Dutch "tyrants" (incidentally, approved by both clericals and liberals: rotted away, European liberalism!) saw in this a criminal desire to separate from Holland! The dissolved party, of course, resurrected under another name.

In Java there arose a national union of natives, already having 80,000 members and organizing mass meetings. The growth of democratic movement is irresistible.

World capitalism and the Russian movement of 1905 have finally awakened Asia. Hundreds of millions of downtrodden people, brutalized in medieval stagnation, have awakened to new life and to struggle for elementary human rights, for democracy.

Workers of the advanced countries of the world follow with interest and enthusiasm this mighty growth of the world liberation movement in all parts of the globe and in all its forms. The bourgeoisie of Europe, frightened by the power of the workers' movement, has thrown itself into the embrace of reaction, militarism, clericalism and obscurantism. But in place of this bourgeoisie, rotting alive, comes the proletariat of European countries and the young, full of faith in its own strength and confidence in the masses, democracy of Asian countries.

The awakening of Asia and the beginning of the struggle for power by the advanced proletariat of Europe mark the new epoch of world history that opened at the beginning of the twentieth century.

*Pravda* No. 103, May 7, 1913. Signed: F.

Printed according to the text of the newspaper *Pravda*